Feed mechanism.



E. J. F. REA.

FEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED 118.17, 191s.

Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

In yen 602".

Wtnasses:

E. J. F. REA.

FEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED mm. 17, 1913.

1,074,067, Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

3 BHBETB-BHEET 2.

Witnesses: I In 0612607: 7 cf F1760 flyfizls'Alfarn/eye;

BIA l'LANOunAI'n E. J. P. REA.

FEED MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED r213. 17, 1913.

1 74,067. Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

3 SHEETS SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOIIRAI'" co.. WASHINGTON, n. C

Th; STATES T FFTCE.

EDWARD J. F. REA, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN AUTO- IVIATIC PRESS COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

FEED MECHANISM.

ovaocv.

Specification of Letters Patent.

tttiblltfibd Sept. 23, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. F. REA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hart-ford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism, of which the following is a specification. A

This invention relates to feed mechanism. Feed mechanism involving the invention can be employed with advantage in many dill'ercnt connections being of especial utility, however, when incorporated in a printing press.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide means whereby a sheet or equivalent article can be accurately and correctly advanced up to a certain point and then freed suliiciently to permit its ready and precise transfer to another point. In a printing press the feed mechamsm will transfer the sheets of paper from the feed box toward the front guides and just before the same are reached the side-register device will act upon the sheets in such way as to truly and precisely present the same to the cylinder.

In the drawings accompanying and forming partof the present specification I have represented in detail one of the several forms of embodiment of the invention which to enable those skilled in the art to practise the same, will be fully set forth in the following description. From this it will be evident that I do not limit myself to the showing made by said drawings and description. may depart therefrom in several respects within the scope of the invention defined by the claims.

Referring to said drawings: Figure l is a top plan view of feeding mcchanisn'i includ ing my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and, Fig. 3 a transverse section of the same. Fig. t is an elevation of a cam for aising the carrier for certain rollers hereinafter described.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

As already intimated feed mechanism comprising the invention, can be employed with advantage in several different connections. In the accompanying drawings, it is shown as incorporated in or forming part of a printing press, and in this particular use the said mechanism conveys the sheets from the feed box (not shown) or equivalent part toward the cylinder 2 or analogous device, the sheets being acted upon before they are presented to the cylinder by a side register device, designated in a general way by 2' to cause their accurate presentation to said cylinder. The feed-box contains the sheets and ust in front of the same are disposed the superposed frictionfecd rollers and 4-, supported as usual by the framework o of the press. A suction feed roller (not shown) draws the lowermost sheet from the pile or stack in the feed box, and presents the same to the friction-feed rollers 3 and alwhich in turn grasp it and advance it to the table 6 constituting part or the feed mechanism and which may be disposed in any desirable way but which as shown is inclined downward toward the cylinder 2. The parts thus far described are common in printing presses. Feed mechanism involving the invention, preferably includes a :lced-table and that shown answers satisfactorily in this connection although I may use any other kind and in some instances dispense with the same. In practice the 'ljriction-fccd rollers Fl and at are driven by power their peripheries being in contact.

Associated with the inclined feed table 6 are preferably a plurality of ilorwarding rollers although in some cases some of them may be omitted: that is to say l might employ but a single set or pair of said forwarding rollers. As shown there, are six sets of said forwarding rollers, three pairs being arranged at one side of the longitudinal median line of the table (5 and the other three being at the other side of said line. The lower rollers are designated by 7 to 12 inclusive, the rollers 7 to 9 being at one side of said line while the rollers 10 to 1.2 are at the other side of said line lthough this is not always essential. The rollers 7 and 10 are supported by and rigid with the shaft 13, the rollers S and 1.1 being rigidly carried by the shaft 14; while the shaft 15 rigidly carries the rollers .l and 15 2. These several shafts as illustrated extend transversely of the press and are in parallelism being preferably driven by connections, such as toothed gearing as will hereina ter appear, with the lower friction feed roller 3. Above the lower rollers 7 to 12 inclusive, are the rollers 16 to 21 inclusive respectively, each upper roller running normally in frictional contact with a lower roller. After a sheet emerges from :between the friction feed rollers, it is seized by the first two pairs of forwarding rollers and advanced by them and the succeeding practically similar rollers toward the front guides. 11 might state at this point that the upper forwarding rollers are moved free of the paper just before the sheet reaches the front guides, although held at such time by steadying rollers as will hereinafter appear, so that said sheet can be presented to the front guides without possibility of its being torn, buckled or injured. There is shown fastened to one end of each of the shafts 13, 14 and 15, a pinion 22, the pinion on the first shaft 13 meshing with the idler spur gear 23, in mesh with the pinion 31 fastened to the shaft of the lower and power driven friction feed roller 3. The pinion 22 of said first shaft meshes also with a second idler 24, the counterpart of the one already described, which in turn meshes with the pinion 22 on the second shaft 14. In mesh with the second pinion is the idler gear 25 which meshes with the third pinion 22, by reason of which the lower rollers of the several sets or pairs of forwarding rollers are simultaneously positively or power driven, said rollers driving by friction the upper forwarding rollers. v

The upper rollers 16 to 21 inclusive are sustained by bars 26 and 27 in parallelism longitudinally of the press or other machine the bar 26 carrying the three rollers 16, 17 and 18 while the companion bar supports the other three upper rollers 19, 20 and 21, the two bars being longitudinally slotted to receive the respective upper rollers, and the sides of said bars being notched or slotted as at 28, to receive for rotation, the laterally projecting journals or gudgeons of said upper rollers, said journals being dropped into said slots 28 through their upper open sides. 3 The upper rollers are prevented from jumping from their seats orslots by holding or retaining strips 29 fastened to the respective bars 26 and 27 by screws 30. Extending through said bars v26 and 27 are the rods 31 and 32 disposed in parallelism transversely of the press, said bars being rigidly secured to said rods and in turn being similarly secured to the bars 33 and 34, which as will now appear are mounted for shifting move ment. These two bars 33 and 34, the cross rods 31 and 32 and the inner bars 26 and 27 present a suitable movable carrier or frame for the upper rollers of the forwarding'rollers, and said carrier is. preferably but not necessarily mounted for swinging movement, the bars 33 and 34 for this purpose as shown, being pivotally connected by curved extensions 35 and 36 respectively thereof at their inner ends, with the framework of the machine. In view of this ome? mounting the upper rollers can be lifted free or clear of the paper. While the upper forwarding rollers, however, are raised OK the paper the latter is still held by steadying rollers as will be hereinafter pointed out. The bars 26 and 27 while rigidly fastened to the cross rods 31 and 32 are adjustable toward and from each other so as to readily adapt them to the size of the stock being forwarded and they may be held in their adjustable positions by the set screws 39.

The inclined feed table 6 is vertically perforated at opposite sides to receive plungers, those on one side being denoted by 40 while those on the other side are designated by 41, there being inth-e construction shown four of such plungers although this number is not neceessary nor need I employ the same as I might use other means for raising the side bars 33 and 34 constituting part of the carrier for the upper forwarding or advancing rollers. The upper ends of said plungers engage at all times the said side bars 33 and 34. Supported by suitable bearings on the pendent sides of the feed table 6, are the longitudinally-extending rock-shafts 42 and 43 which with their adjuncts, present a convenient means for elevating said plungers 40 and 41. Fixed to the rock-shaft 42 are the substantially duplicate cams 44 for engaging the lower ends of the plungers 40, while the shaft 43 is provided with similar cams 45 for engaging the plungers 41, said cams constituting suitable means for thrusting said plungers upward to secure the result to which I have already referred. The

lever 46 is shown fastened between its ends to the shaft 42, the rod 47 being jointed at one end to the lower branch of said lever while the opposite end of said rod is likewise connected with the crank arm 48 fastened to the shaft 43. Jointed to the upper branch of said lever 46 is the rod or pitman steadying rollers, however, which still grip the sheet and the primary purpose of these rollers is as will be inferred to steady said sheet and prevent it being blown away or dislodged. There are four of such steadying rollers in the construction shown, two coaxial lower rollers 51 and52 and two approximately coaxial upper rollers 53 and 54, said lower rollers being rigid with the shaft 55 and like the other lower rollers already described extending slightly above the upper surface of the inclined feed table through slots therein. Said lower rollers 51 and 52 are power driven and by friction drive the cooperating upper rollers 53 and 54:. The shaft 55 is shown having fastened thereto, the pinion 5G in mesh with the idler spur gear 57 which in turn meshes with the extreme forward pinion 22. The upper rollers and Set like the upper forwarding rollers already described, are located within the longitudinally disposed slots of the respective side bars 26 and 27, their laterally extending journals or gudgeons rotatively fitting slots 58 in the said side bars 26 and 27 which slots 58 are deeper than the slots 28 for a reason that will hereinafter appear. All the lower rollers are in alinement in the construction shown, and it will he therefore evident that owing to the greater depth of the slots 58 with respect to the slots 28, when the side bars 26 and 27 are elevated as already described, the rollers 58 and 54 will not be lifted but will remain in engagement with the stock or with the respective lower rollers 51 and 52.

The means shown for actuating the rod or pitman L9 and the consequent elevation of the upper forwarding or advancing rollers already described comprises the cam (50. Said cam 60 comprises two coaxial sections one fastened to the power-operable shaft (31 and the other adjustable thereabout and held in its adjusted position by the screw 62 extending through an arcuate slot therein and struck from the axis of motion of said shaft, said screw being tapped into the relatively fixed cam section. The active portion (33 of the cam is presented jointly by the two sections thereof and by reason of their adjustable connection in the manner described, the extent of such active portion can be varied. On the f'amework of the machine is pivoted the lever G l cooperative with said cam 60, said lever 64: being connected by the link 65 with one arm of the angle lever (36 on the framework of the machine, the other branch of said angle level being connected with the rod 4L9. Just before the sheet of paper reaches the front 50 guides, the active portion of the cam 60 will raise the lever 6 t so that. through the intermediate parts, the rod 49 will be drawn to the left in turn through the intermediate parts already described, effecting the eleva- 55 tion of the upper forwarding rollers. The adjustable cam already described, presents a convenient means for varying the duration of elevation of the upper forwarding rollers.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. The combination of upper and lower forwarding rollers and upper and lower stcadying rollers, and a frame for supporting the upper rollers, the latter being bodily shiftable with respect to said frame, and 65 means for automatically raising said frame at a predetermined point, the upper steadying roller being connected with said frame to remain in contact with the lower steadying roller after the upper forwarding roller has been lifted from the lower forwarding roller on the elevation of said frame.

2. The combination of a feed table, rollers disposed respectively in sets in superposed relation, the upper rollers having laterally extending journals, and a movable frame slotted to receive said journals the slots which receive the journals of at least one of the rollers being deeper than the slots which receive the remainder of the journals of said 30 upper rollers.

23. The combination of a feed table, a series of lower rollers, a corresponding series of upper rollers cooperative respectively with said lower rollers, a bar slotted to receive the upper rollers, the latter having laterally-extending journals and said bar having side slots to receive said journals at least two of said slots being deeper than the remainder of said side slots, and means for raising said bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDXVARD J. F. REA.

i tnesses:

CLAY Pn'rnns, 1mm MI M AT'II l n ws.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i- 

